After winning the Test series against England, Rohit Sharma sent out a clear message about how having the hunger to play Test cricket would always be a marker for selection.
“See, Test cricket is the toughest format. And if you want to excel in this format, have success, then you need to have the hunger. Those who have the hunger, we will give them opportunities. Those who don’t have the hunger; it gets known. Those who have it in them to perform in tough conditions will be given the preference,” the India captain said at the post-match press conference.
He went on: “It’s a waste of time playing those who don’t have the hunger. Opportunities come at a premieun at this level. If you can’t utilise the opportunity then that is gone.”
Rohit’s comment assumes significance at a time when players like Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan, for example, aren’t making themselves available for the Ranji Trophy. The skipper, however, didn’t single out anyone and said that he didn’t have anyone in the team without the hunger.
Meanwhile, Dhruv Jurel, India’s wicketkeeper-batter and the Player of the Match in Ranchi, credited the tailenders for their efforts with the bat in the fourth Test.
In Ranchi, Jurel’s innings of 90 runs off 149 balls, including six fours and four sixes, was instrumental. He formed a crucial 76-run partnership with Kuldeep Yadav and a 40-run partnership with Akash Deep in the first innings, aiding India’s recovery from 177/7 to 307 all out.
“The partnerships with the tailenders were vital, and they played exceptionally well. Credit must be given to them for their contributions,” Jurel said at the post-match presentation.
In their chase of 192 runs, India faced early trouble on the fourth day, losing three wickets quickly in the morning session. Ravindra Jadeja and Sarfaraz Khan fell in the same over during the second session. However, Jurel and Shubman Gill orchestrated a match-winning partnership of 72 runs, with Jurel contributing 39 runs from 77 deliveries.
“I always try to adapt my game according to the situation. In the last innings, it was crucial to add runs as we anticipated batting last. I focused on scoring runs knowing that we wouldn’t have a large target to chase,” Jurel explained, reflecting on his approach to the innings.
Rohit lauded Jurel for his performance with the bat, noting that the youngster displayed a remarkable level of maturity in his batting. The captain acknowledged the difficulty of filling in for senior players but emphasised that the performance in Ranchi would instill confidence in the team.
“Jurel, in his second play, showed a lot of composure and has the shots as well. His 90 in the first innings brought us close to England’s total and he showed a lot of calmness and maturity in the second innings. It’s not pleasing to miss key players, but there’s nothing we can’t do as a group. It wasn’t easy for these guys to come and fill their shoes. There were a lot of pressure from outside, not inside, a lot of things were written and spoken about. But performances like this will motivate them to do better in the future,” said Rohit.
In the absence of key players, young talents rose to the challenge. Yashasvi Jaiswal emerged as the standout performer of the series with over 600 runs. Akash Deep impressed with the ball in his debut Test, while Sarfaraz Khan smashed fifties in both innings of his debut Test. Jurel’s contributions of 90 and 39 were crucial in India’s victory in the Ranchi Test and securing the series win. Reflecting on the youngsters’ performances, Rohit said at the post-match presentation: “It’s a big challenge to play Test cricket, but the response has been quite encouraging. The only work for Rahul bhai and me is to get the things done. They’re very clear at what they want to do.”
As for Ben Stokes, he may have experienced his first series loss as Test captain, but he is proud of the way his team, especially Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley, has performed.
“I can only be proud of my team,” said Stokes. “We have had some inexperienced spinners, but I’m proud of their efforts, they came here without a lot of exposure, and the way they kept bowling, I can’t ask for anything more.”
Despite England’s inability to secure their first series victory in India since 2012, Stokes underlined his team’s resilience and fighting spirit throughout the series. Even in Ranchi, Stokes observed that his players displayed unwavering commitment on the field, a fact that brought him satisfaction.
“You want to win series, you want to play and win cricket matches. I’ve been here for a couple of years (as captain) and my message is simple. The only thing I can say is that we left nothing on the field, we’ve fought hard and I’m happy with that.”